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Pr. George’s police arrest suspect in student’s murder

By WTOP Staff

UPDATE: Monday – 2/25/2013, 11:40 am ET

WASHINGTON – Prince George’s County police say Travon Bennett, 20, of Bryans Road, Md., has been arrested for the murder of Marckel Ross.

UPDATE: Wednesday – 2/20/2013, 3:44pm ET

WASHINGTON – Prince George’s Police say they have arrested five suspects in connection with the murder of 15-year-old Charles Michael Walker Jr., who was shot and killed Monday afternoon.

Police plan to announce the arrests Wednesday afternoon.

The suspects have been identified as Derryck Antonio Green, 20, of the 900 block of North Henry Street in Alexandria, Jermani Maurice Whitner, 18, of the 2900 block of Saint Clair Drive in Temple Hills, Glenn Cornell Leach, 23, of the 1000 block of Southern Avenue in Southeast Washington, Tayvon Delonte Williams, 21, of the 6400 block of Livingston Road in Oxon Hill, and Kevin J. Smith, 21, of the 2900 block of Saint Clair Drive in Temple Hills.

Police say tips called into Crime Solvers helped detectives in the case.

All five suspects are in custody and have been charged with first degree murder.

Police also announced the second victim in Tuesday night’s Forestville shooting has died. He is identified as 18-year-old Andre Walter Shuford.

EARLIER: Wednesday – 2/20/2013, 2:19pm ET

WASHINGTON – Prince George’s County police have identified the 18-year-old Suitland High School student fatally shot Tuesday as Aaron Burrell Kidd.

Kidd, of the 3600 block of Melrose Avenue in District Heights, was pronounced dead at a local hospital, after police found him and another 18-year-old shot in a parking lot in Forestville.

EARLIER: Wednesday – 2/20/2013, 1:32pm ET

WASHINGTON – An 18-year-old student shot and killed Tuesday evening is the second from Suitland High School in roughly 24 hours and the sixth student lost to gun violence in Prince George’s County in the last six months.

The freshman was found with another man, also 18, in Forestville, Md., at about 5:30 p.m. Both were shot and the other remains in grave condition. Their names have not been released.

In a statement, Brian K. Coleman, spokesperson for Prince George’s County Public Schools, said:

“We are horrified to learn that tragedy struck another one of our students within a 24-hour time-span. Our hearts are broken again and we extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to the family. We cannot go another day without addressing these unspeakable acts of violence against our students. We are asking for the community’s support as our students, teachers and employees cope with these incidents.”

Read more about Tuesday’s incident here.

A 15-year-old who attended Suitland High School was shot and killed Monday.

Police found Charles Michael Walker Jr. on the ground and with a gunshot wound in the 4100 block of 28th Avenue in Hillcrest Heights Monday afternoon. The teen — who lived in the 4200 block of 28th Avenue in Hillcrest Heights — was taken to a local hospital and later pronounced dead.

“It’s just crazy,” says one of the victim’s classmates at Suitland. “Why would you pull the trigger on someone who’s not messing with you?”

“That makes me frightened for my life.”

Police say the motive in Walker’s killing was robbery involving a pair of shoes the victim was carrying in a shopping bag. The shoes — sources say they were Timberland boots — were left at the scene of the shooting.

“I am really enraged that a young person in our community can’t walk the streets with a shopping bag without being shot in the back,” Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks says.

Watch Prince George’s County Police Chief Mark Magaw give an update on the case Tuesday:

Walker was the fifth student who had attended a school in the county to be killed this school year. Tuesday night’s death makes six.

A WTOP review shows other county students killed are:

  • Amber Stanley, 17, was shot and killed in her own bed. She attended Charles H. Flowers High School.
  • Marckel Ross, 18, was shot and killed while on his way to school. He attended Central High School.
  • Marcus Jones, 16, was shot and killed after a weekend house party. He attended Friendly High School.
  • Eliezer Reyes, 14, was killed in a drive-by shooting. The Gazette reports he had attended Nicholas Orem Middle School, but had switched recently to Foundations School in Largo — an independent school for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities.

Police had made arrests in at least two of the cases — Jones’ and Reyes’ — and were seeking an additional suspect in each. Before the sixth shooting death occurred, ABC7 reported that police expect to make arrests in four of the cases by next week’s end.

Grief counselors were on hand at Suitland High School Tuesday for students, teachers and staff.

Police say detectives have received multiple tips in Walker’s case, and anyone with information on the murder can contact the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Homicide Unit at 301-772-4925.

Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), text “PGPD plus your message” to CRIMES (274637) on your cellphone or go to the website and submit a tip online.

“We’re just looking for any tips, if there were any witnesses or anyone that saw anything suspicious to please notify us,” Cpl. Larry Johnson with Prince George’s County police tells WTOP.

“We’re very disturbed about what’s happened,” says Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker.

“My sympathy goes out to the families,” Baker says.

Baker, whose three children attended Suitland High School, says the county needs to take a comprehensive look at the problems young people are having.

“We need to do more. We can’t arrest our way out of these problems. We can’t prosecute our way out of them,” Baker says.

“These are our young people killing each other, looking each other in the face and shooting at each other, and we’ve got to do something about that,” he says.

Baker, who started the Transforming Neighborhoods Initiative last year, says a holistic approach is needed to preventing violence and helping children. That approach would include schools, police, prosecutors and other agencies focusing on individual neighborhoods.

“We need more intimate involvement in what’s going on in the homelife of these individuals,” Baker says.

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Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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